Smoking may affect your sex drive

If that's not a good enough reason alone, then there many more, including the fact that smoking can affect your performance in the bedroom – for instance, there's evidence that more male smokers suffer from erectile dysfunction problems than non-smokers.

And now, US researchers suggest non-smoking men may get in the mood for sex faster than smokers too. Writing in the British Journal of Urology International the experts followed 65 men – none of whom said they were suffering from erectile dysfunction – who had enrolled on an eight-week smoking cessation programme using of nicotine patches.

The volunteers were shown a sexy film before, halfway through and a few weeks after the smoking cessation programme ended. While they were watching the film, the researchers kept notes of their reactions and, when the movie was over,  gave the volunteers a questionnaire on their general sexual health.

Out of the 65 men, 20 had managed to give up smoking – at least for the time they were followed by the researchers – while 45 were still lighting up. But those who had quit showed signs of becoming sexually aroused faster than those who were still smoking when they watched the final film, claim the experts.

There again the non-smokers didn't claim their sexual performance was any better at the end of the eight-week programme. But the researchers suggest it could simply take a little time for the effects of not smoking to kick in where their libido was concerned.

The idea of the study was to find out whether or not smoking affected the sex lives of men who didn't already have a problem with erectile dysfunction. And of course it does make sense, since smoking is thought to affect circulation and blood vessel dilation – both of which are critical to get an erection.

The question is, will this news make younger men – who may think they aren't old enough to be affected by the big health risks associated with smoking – hesitate before buying their next packet of cigs?

If you're a smoker, would it make you think twice about lighting up? Or are there other, more important reasons that might just persuade you to quit?

• If you're trying to quit but having a hard time, ask your pharmacist what help is available to you in the form of nicotine replacement therapy products and stop smoking services. If could be just the help you need to be successful this time.